In a Saratoga basement, 200 years of Indian music knowledge is being passed down to the next generation.

Anuradha Sridhar listens and watches as three of her students play their violins. Her eyes close and she begins to sing along with the tune that is emanating from her students’ instruments. She moves her arms like a conductor in front of an orchestra. But instead of side-to-side motions, she slaps her thigh in rhythm to the music.

Her eyes open again and she begins correcting and encouraging the three children, who are sitting down, legs crossed, with the tip of their violins against their feet. Sridhar lets them know when they’re off the mark or if their fingers are incorrectly placed against the strings.

The students, all about age 14, try to concentrate on the music as they stare at their teacher. They want to be sure they are getting it right–if not for themselves, then at least for her.

These hour-long teaching sessions happen weekly in a studio in Sridhar’s Saratoga home. What these children might not know, or at least comprehend, is that they are being taught by a singer and musician who is thought to be one of the greatest in the United States.

Sridhar did not receive those accolades by taking what she does lightly. She has practiced for hours each day since she was 4 years old. And she expects her students to give that type of commitment themselves if they want to work with her.

“I’m not just teaching them to be musicians,” she says. “I am shaping them into artists.”

Carnatic music

Sridhar was born and raised in Chennai, India. It is one of the largest cities in the country, with a population of 4 million people. But it’s also a place passionate about its music, especially its traditional carnatic music.

Carnatic begins with learning the words, Sridhar says. When songs are played on other instruments, such as a violin, the instrumentalist knows their purpose and deeper meaning.

The roots of carnatic music can be traced back to the 12th century. Sridhar’s knowledge, she says, comes from Saint Thyagaraja, who is thought to have been one of the best carnatic musicians of his time.

Sridhar’s great-great-grandfather was a direct disciple of Thyagaraja. What was learned was passed down to her great-grandfather, then to her grandfather who passed the knowledge down to her mother, Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandan. Sridhar’s mother would begin teaching her daughter the music at a very early age.

Learning carnatic music is not like learning to play a pop song on guitar. Carnatic music is connected with the Hindu religion, so the songs have a deep spirituality to them. Learning to play the songs is also about listening to what the composer was trying to convey.

“Every little song has been cared for and improved upon and taught with sincerity. That’s why it’s shining the way it is. That’s why it’s so emotional,” she says.

Sridhar has received multiple awards and recognition for her talent. She says she began performing duets with her mother when she was about 10 years old. While her mother was a big influence on her, she also remembers teaching sessions with her grandfather.

Although she puts in the time and hard work, she gives all the credit to her family for their love, patience and understanding. There is “an ocean of curriculum” to learn, she says. And dedicating your life to learning it is time consuming.

But Sridhar’s life wasn’t always headed in the direction of music.

Right choice for her soul

Sridhar moved to the Bay Area in 1989. Although it was music that had first led her to the country years ago when she performed in Cleveland, Ohio, her life revolved around her family and her job as an accountant.

She still performed and was receiving calls daily from parents desperately wanting their children to learn from her. She told the eager parents that she was not looking for students. She says she didn’t have the time and she was happy enough doing what she did.

But the phone calls persisted. And there was a part of her that felt guilty that she wasn’t putting in the time she felt she needed to to better herself as a musician and perfect the craft she loved so dearly.

So she gave up her job and dove into teaching.

“I’ve never gone back and regretted not working. It was a big change on the pay scale. But for my soul, I think, this was the right choice,” she says.

Sridhar added: “It was just not possible to do everything. And my heart naturally went toward music.”

Sridhar estimates that she’s taught close to 75 students over the last 20 years. Although the number may not sound like much after two decades of teaching, it does when one finds out how many students she teaches in her classes.

“I insist on a class only having two,” she says. “If they are focused, maybe three.”

Waiting list

Sridhar isn’t just selective about how many students she has. She’s also selective in the type of children she takes on as students.

“To become a musician, just like an engineer or a doctor, you got to put your full-time effort into it,” she says.

It’s the parents who call her, asking for her to accept their children into her classes. But there is a waiting list. With limited time and a limited number of students who can be taken on, parents have to wait for Sridhar to call them back.

However, some are not willing to wait and will call again and again.

At that point, Sridhar says, she sits down with the parents and child and breaks down what will be expected from the student. Children are busy with academics and maybe other extracurricular activities, so they might not have the time to put in all the practice hours.

Some parents are still convinced. Others say they didn’t realize what a commitment it was and just wanted their child to play for fun.

“With limited time on hand, I felt like if I’m going to be selective, then I’d like to spend that time with somebody who’s willing to put in those hours and get somewhere with it, rather than someone who just wants to get somewhere for fun,” she says.

Sridhar says there are plenty of other teachers who would be perfect for teaching just for fun. But that isn’t who she is or how she wants to spend her time teaching.

And Sharadha Srinivasan says there are no other teachers out there like Sridhar. Srinivasan’s daughter Maya, 14, has been working with Sridhar for the past six years.

“I always say that she has been a blessing to our family,” she said.

Maya says it was her parents who first pushed her to learn from Sridhar. But now it’s become something she wants to do.

“I don’t live in India, so I don’t get to learn much about the culture. But I love the music. I love singing to it and love listening to it,” she says.

Maya, who is a singer, puts in an average of two hours a day of practice. Although it is time consuming, she says she has no regrets and doesn’t feel like she’s had to sacrifice anything from her life for the music. If anything, she says, she has learned to be more focused and disciplined with her academics due to all of the training.

“For the children, it’s a life lesson,” Sridhar says. “It’s not just music.

“They learn so much along the way. Some are performers, some are not. But nobody’s lesson is wasted because you learn to approach a difficult topic. You learn to be disciplined, set goals and see small successes here and there.”

Maya, like many of Sridhar’s students, has performed in front of audiences.

Fittingly, Sridhar’s students have received accolades and awards for their performances. In 2009, Sridhar’s school, Trinity Center for Music, received first place in the “Best School Competition” at the Cleveland Aradhana Celebrations.

Sridhar’s classes have also taken part in the Youth Music Initiative at the San Francisco World Music Festival.

The competitions and the exposure to different types of music are good for the students, Sridhar says.

“Anytime you want to perform something for somebody else, you put more effort into it. If you’re just performing for yourself, you’re OK with a few mistakes here and there. Even if it’s just one song, but you’re performing it in front of 30 people in an outside venue, you are going to be more careful about it. It motivates them to put more hours in because they have a goal,” she says.

For Sridhar, it’s about more than just performing and teaching. It’s about making sure the children receive something out of the time they’re spending with her. It’s a slow process, she admits, but no child walks away learning nothing.

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